TrialGB Series reaches halfway stage in Devon
By John Dickinson on 12th Jun 19
The 2019 Keedwell ACU TrialGB Series reaches the halfway stage on Sunday with the West of England Motor Clubs Anthony Rew Trial in Devon which will count as the fifth round of the nine event series.
In a major revamp to the course, tradition has been thrown out of the window and although at the usual Kelly Farm venue, the course and sections will run completely different to the past.
Effectively, the sections that usually form the final four, on the steep wooded hillside, which in the past have seen many changes to the results, will now be the first four.
Its then the old rocky climb in the main spectator area as section five, before riders head off over the hill for variations of some old favourites and two new hazards at sections 11 and 12.
The weather forecast is variable for the area this week and although all of the sections are now marked, Clerk of the Course Anthony Rew is anticipating doing some final tweaks on Friday.
The current plan is that the ACU Trial 2 riders will complete five of the main ACU Trial GB sections, with a couple of the harder ACU Trial Experts sections also expected to be tests for this competitive class.
In the ACU Trial GB class it is crunch time as Gas Gas UK No.1 Jack Price is currently 11 points ahead of his nearest rival Toby Martyn on the factory Beta.
Riding in his home round, Martyn will be keen to stop Prices winning streak as another victory would mean the championship is slipping away.
Ben Dignan is in charge of the Trial125 class
Sherco-supported east Yorkshire brothers Dan and Jack Peace kickstarted their title hopes at the last round two weeks ago and both will be looking to stand on the top step of the podium on Sunday afternoon.
Yorkshires Richard Sadler (Gas Gas) has edged out a single point lead over current Champion, TRRS rider Ross Danby in the ACU Trial 2 class with initial red plate holder Sam Connor (Beta) and Sam Haslam (Gas Gas) in striking distance, ready to pounce.
But look out for local ace Joe Baker (Sherco) delivering a shock to the series regulars while Alexz Wigg (Gas Gas) is also down to stir things up a bit
Up and coming Ben Dignan (Gas Gas) makes the long journey from Scotland looking to secure his fourth win of the series in the ACU Trial 125 class, while Brett Harbud (Beta), who won the opening round back in March at Hookwood, will be looking to close the gap.
A healthy entry in the Expert class will be led by the Isle of Wights Chris Stay (TRRS) who, despite a poor result at the St Davids Trial has recorded three wins which puts him eight points ahead of Dan Thorpe.
The venue will be marked from the A382 at Bovey Tracey and the action starts at 9.30am with the podium presentations set to take place at 3.50pm.
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